Diksha Sundriyal
There are a lot of reasons to hate the world and only a handful that make you get up in the morning. For Tony, there had been only one thing that kept him sane, and it was Lisa. After she dies of breast cancer, he finds his life empty and painful. The world doesn’t make sense to him without her, and so he contemplates suicide. He tries to slash his wrists or swallow a bunch of pills or walk into the ocean, but he fails every time because of his dog, Brandy.
After Life Season 1 Recap
The first season of ‘After Life’ focuses on Tony’s unique approach to not fake it till he makes it to the end. As the story progresses, he makes some unlikely friends along the way, who help him change his perspective, while relying on the kindness of his old friends who stick with him even in the darkest of times.
Because dying is not an option, not at least until his dog learns to open a can, Tony decides to do whatever the hell he feels like. It is like a superpower, to say whatever you like and get away with it. When it gets to the worst, he can always kill himself. What could possibly go wrong there? What he doesn’t realize is that it’s not all about him.
Tony’s Friends
Tony works at The Tambury Gazette, run by his brother-in-law, Matt, who tries very hard to make him happy. He sends his son, George, to spend time with Tony because he knows it will cheer him up. He lets him get away with unprofessionalism and rudeness. He even sets him up on a date, which doesn’t go well because the woman turns out to be as narcissistic and rude as Tony. While this happens, he is also facing some problems in his marriage.
A new girl, Sandy, comes to work at the Gazette. At first, Tony tells her that it is a miserable place, and she will be stuck here forever. But later, he accepts that it could be a good stepping stone for her, acknowledging that she is very talented. Tony also gives a hard time to Kath and Lenny, his colleagues. Lenny is overweight but never adds anything to his diet other than potatoes, and Kath believes in God, which leads her to ask banal questions that keep Tony distracted.
Tony’s dad is in a nursing home. He suffers from dementia, which irritates Tony because he keeps asking about Lisa. Later, however, Tony comes to terms with his condition and gets better at conversing with his father. He also takes a liking to Emma, the nurse. By the end of the season, he asks her out, and after some initial hesitation, she agrees to it.
Unlikely Friends
Tony gets better, but no thanks to his psychiatrist. In the sessions, Tony rants about everything that makes him angry and sad, but in the end, he finds it best not to waste his money on it anymore. He also tries drugs, brought to him by Julian, a man who delivers the paper. Tony finds that there is a lot in common between them as Julian, too, had lost his partner recently. However, Julian doesn’t think they are anything alike and says that if he had enough money to buy drugs, he would kill himself. So, Tony gives him the money and the next day, Julian ODs.
Tony finds another friend in Daphne, aka Roxy. She is a sex worker whom he hires as a cleaner. He also befriends Anne, whom he meets at the cemetery. She visits her husband Stan and bonds with Tony over the commonality of their grief. She becomes the companion that he turns to whenever he needs advice.
The Gazette Stories
In between all of this, we meet several other people who offer their stories for the newspaper. There is Brian, who is desperate about getting his name in the paper. His talent is that he hasn’t cleaned his house ever since his wife left him. There is a boy who can play an instrument with his nose. The only good outcome of this story is that Lenny goes out with the boy’s mother. Then there is a woman who makes puddings from her breast milk and vaginal yeast, and a man who thinks the stain on his wall looks like Sir Kenneth Branagh.
There is also Postman Pat, who likes to read Tony’s postcards. There is a fat kid in the school who bullies George. So, Tony scares him with the hammer that he had confiscated from the bikers who mug people. Apart from these funny bits, there are also lines like “I’d rather be nowhere with her than be somewhere without her”, just to make you cry.
Read More: Best Sitcoms Ever Made
